Ginn, Jensen garner CoSIDA Academic All-America Honors

Ginn, Jensen garner CoSIDA Academic All-America Honors

AUSTIN, Texas - Carson-Newman swimmers Meredith Ginn and CJ Jensen have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first and second teams, respectively, the organization announced Wednesday afternoon.  

The duo become the first Academic All-American women's swimmers since Mary Northcutt was honored in 2020.  They become the first pair of women's swimmers honored in the same year ever and the fifth and sixth in the history of the women's swim team.  

Carson-Newman has produced 58 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since softball's Brandi Hardin garnered first-team honors in 1992. Ginn and Jensen join men's soccer's Thay Silva as individuals recognized this season.  All told, the department has produced 44 academic All-Americans in the last eight years, that number is second in the SAC to Wingate and the Bulldogs' 62.  That includes Queens, who absconded for the Atlantic Sun Conference in May.  

Ginn finished her Carson-Newman career with a 4.0 GPA while majoring in Chemistry.  Jensen was also a Chemistry major and graduated with a 3.86 GPA. 

Jensen earned honorable mention All-America honors this season in the 200-IM.  Her consolation finals time of 2:03.59 helped her finish 13th overall at the NCAA Championship Meet.

She also turned in a 10th-place finish in the 400 IM with a time of 4:21.15.

Last year, Jensen capped a historic 2021 NCAA championship meet with six All-America swims. Jensen broke the school record in the women's 200-yard butterfly and gathered six All-American honors over the three-day event.

She won individual All-American honors in the women's 200-yard butterfly, 200-yard individual medley, and 400-yard individual medley. She was also part of the All-American women's 200 and 400-yard medley relays along with the women's 800-yard freestyle relay team. She saved her best performance in the 200 butterfly for nationals where her school record 2:56 time helped her to the finals and a fourth-place finish in the event.

Meanwhile, Ginn competed in the 400-IM at nationals with a  time of 4:27.02.  She was a member of the 200-yard medley relay that set a program record and earned All-America honors with a time of 1:40.91. Ginn, Kailee Morgan, Manon Campagner and Kyla Blakemore finished fifth at nationals.  She also earned honorable mention All-America honors with the 200 freestyle relay with Compagner, Kennadi King and Summer Osborne.

In 2021, she collected two individual All-American honors at the NCAA Division II National Championships in the women's 400-yard IM in 4:16.48 and the women's 200-yard breaststroke in 2:16.10. Ginn also captured a ninth-place finish in the women's 200-yard IM with a time of 2:01.85 at the National Championships.